The Road Less Traveled
by AVitale15
Summary: The road less traveled is a path few are brave enough to take. What happens if you're forced into? Alexandra Malfoy-Potter is about to find out and she can only pray that she doesn't mess things up too seriously. Throw in her teenage, rival parents, a stubborn ginger uncle, and her genius aunt and all kinds of drama and hilarity will ensue.
1. Chapter 1

Potions. I thoroughly despise potions. Considering who my parents are it really could have gone either way, love or hate. Any love I may have had for the subject has officially dissipated, vanished right along with my life long best friend and her weird amused-shocked-terrified look. In all honesty, I had no idea why she was looking at me like that at the time as I'm sure that my face was curled in a disgusted sneer as a rather nervous looking boy named Paolo Zabini exploded his cauldron. I knew the boy. Grew up with him. He really was a sweet kid but he was rubbish at potions. I hated the class but luckily got the talent for it despite negative feelings.

Now, here I sit, emerald eyes blinking owlishly as I glance back and forth between two long dead professors. One is collecting samples of the purple spotted pea green potion that's coating my school uniform and the other is simply smiling serenely with an odd twinkle in his pale blue eyes. From what I've gathered, whatever concoction Zabini ended up developing was not the anxiety draught that my sixth year class was meant to be making.

"Thank you, Severus." Said the old man in the odd robes, "I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry. I am terribly sorry, my dear, for the secretive and silent treatment that you have received but we had to be certain."

"Certain, sir?"

"That you weren't associated with Voldemort and his Death Eaters, of course."

I blanched and looked between the Headmaster and man in black in stunned silence for a ridiculous amount of time. Death Eaters? Voldemort? There hadn't been a single mention of them in twenty one years apart from the yearly memorial and celebration associated with the Battle of Hogwarts. When I had woken in the hospital wing with the two men before me hovering over my bed, I had thought that my father had decided to play an elaborate joke. He had always said that I never took the lessons from his time at school seriously. Now, however, I could feel the panic setting in as I was beginning to realize that this wasn't a joke. No one was going to jump out at me and reveal that they were trying to teach me a lesson. I was not just far from home in the sense that I was safely at school awaiting Christmas break so that I could see my family; I was far from home in the sense that Paolo Zabini had literally catapulted me back in time.

My breathing came out in hurried, painful gasps and my eyes filled with tears. This was not happening. I was not sitting in ALBUS DUMBLDORE'S office in 1996. Severus Snape was not handing me an actual anxiety potion. I was in my dorm room having an extremely vivid dream. My parents were at work planning to eat supper with my aunt and uncle tonight as it was Thursday. My brother was in his common room staying up entirely too late playing exploding snaps.

I took the potion given to me and felt the effects instantly. My mind cleared, my breathing returned to normal, the tears dried on long blonde lashes, and emerald eyes met pale blue. They eyed me curiously but gave me a few moments before anything was said.

"Are you alright?" professor Dumbledore questioned.

"No, but I'm better. Thank you, Professor Snape." His eyebrow arched.

"Now, might I ask your name, child?"

I took a deep breath and looked rapidly between the two men before licking my lips, "Alexandra."

"Alexandra," he smiled, "Lovely name. Might I have your last name so that we may contact your parents?"

"I believe you'll find contacting my parents difficult, sir."

"Oh, and why is that?" He smiled at me jovially.

"Because my name is Alexandra Narcissa Malfoy-Potter. My parents are at work some twenty years in the future."

The two men looked at me stunned, obsidian and blue eyes blinking owlishly at me and, against my better judgement and despite my current situation, I laughed harder than was necessary.


	2. Days of Future Past

Two months. It had been two months since I found myself in a time with which I wasn't familiar. Two months of roaming the halls of a Hogwarts that I didn't know but was exactly like that map that my dad kept on him from his school days. He tended to use it to show my father that my brother and I were still alive when he panicked. It took me several weeks to learn the new layout of the castle. Well, I suppose it would be the old lay out. They reworked the school some after the war basically tore it down to its foundation. While our version had the feel of an extremely large, expensive prep school, this version stood in all its historical glory. Turrets and towers, dungeons and multiple court yards. It left me in awe of the sheer beauty and majesty of the ancient structure. It also made me somewhat envious of my parents.

Currently, it was dusk. The pinks and golds of sunset were glinting beautifully off of the windows of what would be Gryffindor tower come tomorrow morning. I had never been in the common room until I was spat out in 1996. I was a Slytherin and, while we no longer slept in the deepest recesses of the dungeons, my common room was on one of the lower levels of the refurbished castle. My brother, Sirius, was a Gryffindor and he often spoke of the warm and comforting atmosphere that was found in their tower. I was sat in the exact spot I knew my brother would currently be resting twenty years from now. There was a plush arm chair angled toward the window facing the Great Lake. Sirius always said that it was his favorite spot in the entire castle and I now understood why. The view was breathtaking and I could clearly imagine the fire warming him as to keep the bitter Scottish chill at bay.

The tears slipped unbidden down my cheeks as the loneliness gripped my heart. I could admit without pause that my brother and I lived to annoy each other. We went out of our way to give the other a hard time. It drove our parents to insanity. However, there is nothing that I wouldn't do for him. He was my dearest friend and most ferocious defender. I pulled the locket from beneath my shirt and looked at it. It was gold. Etched into the front was a proud lion, mane seemingly blowing in an invisible wind, wrapped lovingly in the clutches of a large snake. My father bought it for my dad on their first anniversary and it was given to me the night before I left for Hogwarts. I was terrified of leaving home. So, my dad gave me one of his most prized possessions. I clicked it open and smiled. There on one side was a moving picture that was taken last summer on our yearly vacation. We stood on a beach in Hawaii. Dad had his arm wrapped securely around my father's waist, their smiles loving and amused. I stood beside my dad, his other arm around my shoulders as I laughed. Sirius and my baby brother, James, sat before us giving each other bunny ears. You could vaguely see some annoyance on my father's face. He always felt that we should carry ourselves proudly. My younger brothers were just too much like my dad, though.

"Ahem."

My eyes snapped to the portrait hole and I stood, wiping the tears from my face, "Professor, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in."

"Obviously," Professor Snape said, his words not nearly as cold as he wanted them to be," the Headmaster wishes to speak to you. If you would follow me."

The walk to the headmaster's office wasn't very long considering that I was already on the seventh floor but, after a few minutes, it was awkward. I knew things about my teacher that no one other than the headmaster currently knew. I was still trying to learn what I could and couldn't say in relation to the future and he knew that I knew things I shouldn't. It put him a precarious position, to say the least. For a man that supposedly hated all things Potter, he was trying his best to help me adjust and find me a way home. I suppose trying to send me twenty years into the future could prove his distaste for Potters but I digress. Not that it mattered. He was no closer to figuring out what Paolo had done to turn the anxiety potion into a time bomb.

"Bertie Butts."

We rode the stairs to the top and Severus knocked on the door, holding there until we heard the affirmation to enter. My eyebrow rose of its own accord. The room was full of people. Some I knew from the future and some I had only heard stories about, but what surprised me was that this was clearly a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. Why was I even there? Looking around, I could see the clear confusion, apprehension, and distrust marring the faces of the people my dad trusted most. It was unnerving to say the least. Infuriating was also at the top of my emotional list.

"Alexandra," Professor Dumbledore said smiling his grandfatherly smile, "thank you for joining us. I hope that Severus did not interrupt anything important."

I snorted, "No, sir. I was simply relaxing in the tower. Is there something you needed?"

"We did have a few questions, if you wouldn't mind?"

He gestured to an empty arm chair at the center of them room. I wasn't sure if it was meant to make me uncomfortable or if, perhaps, it was just ill placed. I walked towards the chair. My Malfoy mask was firmly in place. Despite how nervous I was, I knew better than to let these people sense any fear. They were already distrustful. If I so much as fidgeted, they would pounce. No doubt assuming that I was here to somehow off my father. I sat elegantly, crossing my legs at the ankle and allowing my hands to rest gently in my lap, in order to give the sense that I was in control. Judging by the more agitated looks, I assumed I had succeeded. My father would be proud. My dad….not so much.

"I suppose that would depend on the questions, Headmaster."

"Of course," he said amiably, "Might we start, simply, with who you are?"

I raised my eyebrow in question, "Who I am, Headmaster?"

"Yes, Alexandra, who you really are."

I looked around at the statement. These people weren't ready for this information. My parents currently hated each other almost as much as they hated Voldemort and half of the room was Weasley's. That in itself didn't bode well for anyone with the Malfoy name. By the time I made my appearance, Uncle Ron and Father had made peace….Aunt Hermione too. However, at this moment, there was few people atop their hate list. Which made it all the worse. They were standing half hidden in the corner. I was more than familiar with my uncle's temper.

"Are you certain that's wise, Albus?" I cocked my head in a way that let them know I was wondering the same.

"Absolutely."

"Very well," I said, taking a breath and meeting each set of eyes, "My name is Alexandra Narcissa Malfoy-Potter."

The yelling and denial started instantly. So many questions were being shouted at me that I could feel my inner ears vibrating. The accusations followed but my eyes were tied on my aunt and uncle. The latter of which was as red faced as his hair and I was fighting back a smile at the familiar sight. The last time I had seen it a stranger had called me death eater scum. I was nine. Uncle Ron didn't have a pleasant reaction. Had it not been for his part in the war, I am certain he would have ended up in Azkaban for what he had done to that poor wizard.

"She's after Harry, Professor!" My eyes flew to my uncle and tears began to swim in my vision, "This is just like something a Malfoy would pull and we all know how in love they are with You-Know-Who."

"How could you even allow her into the castle?" My aunt questioned.

"We need to alert the aurors, Albus," Grandma Molly said, "She can't be allowed to get close to Harry. The poor dear has lost enough."

I could feel the anger burning through my blood. I was so focused on the feeling that I didn't noticed the only silent pair of eyes in the room. Of course, I wouldn't have recognized him. I had only been told about him because he was my god brother's father. As my anger reared its head, I was reminded of something Father once told me. _You are much like me, Allie, but, in your temperament, you are much more like your dad._ Gryffindor brashness. That's what he would have called it. In this moment, I was glad that my temper would show the same ferocity and passion of Harry Potter. If nothing else, it would shut them up.

"Now hold on a bloody minute" I snapped and the room fell silent, wide eyes focusing on me, "First of all, Ronald Bilius Weasley, I have absolutely no desire to go after nor harm my dad! Secondly, Hermione Jean Granger, I was dumped on my arse in the middle of this bloody castle after some bumbling idiot botched a potion and exploded a cauldron in my face. I wasn't allowed in. Thirdly, Grandma Molly, I know more about both of my parents than anyone in the room. I'm as close as one could possibly get. Aurors aren't going to do a bloody thing other than use me as a test subject. AND," I said above the raising voices, "I have absolutely no allegiance to the smarmy, snake faced bastard that tried to kill both of my parents on multiple occasions along with the rest of my family. So, until you can all keep level head like the adults you're meant to be, you can all PISS OFF!"

I rushed out of the office and left complete stunned silence. I did briefly hear the man with kind eyes snarky remark as the door shut.

"Is that enough of Harry for you?"


End file.
